This is an absolutely amazing summer in my rose garden. Our highest temperature so far has been 96 degrees which is pretty temperate here in Windsor, Ct.  We live in the Connecticut River Valley and our mid-summer temps are usually in the upper 90’s for weeks at a time.  Here we are in August and we have been seeing a lot of low-80 degree days.  The humidity level has also been kinder to us during this summer of 2017.  Also, we finally are receiving adequate rainfall after several summers of severe drought.  This means that I can spend more time visiting my roses and less time watering.

Garden Visits

I grow +- 300 roses in my gardens and there is always something in bloom. During rose season, I always seem to have a lot of visitors stopping by.  Over the years, I have found that people just love visiting my rose gardens.  Passers-by blow me kisses or stop to take pictures.  More often than not, while I’m working out in the garden, folks pull in the driveway and ask for a garden tour.  I love these visits, and I am always happy to stop whatever I am doing to encourage novice rosarians and answer their questions.

Intense Color

Something amazing happens at this magical time of mid-summer. I’m not sure what causes it…I think it may be that the sunshine at this time of year must be at the perfect angle…but my roses seem to glow at me!  Their color is just exquisite and beckons me closer.  The other day, I was spraying my gardens and it took longer than normal because I was captivated by all the color and fragrance.

Alternating Products

In my many years of growing beautiful roses, I have discovered that if I am judicious about spraying my roses in the spring, I can ease off a little in the summer because there don’t seem to be many fungus spores flying around. I haven’t seen any black spot this summer, but it’s been pretty damp so I did notice some powdery mildew on the older varieties, hence my spray-day on Thursday.  I use Bayer Disease Control, and it works great keeping major fungi at bay.  The next time I spray the garden I’ll alternate with Spectracide Immunox.  If you spray your roses, it’s a good idea to alternate your spray materials (fungicides and insecticides) so your rose pests won’t become immune to the products you are using.

Take Some Time to Smell the Roses!

Now is the time to love and enjoy your garden! My roses are at peak performance at this point.  I’ll continue to dead-head for the next couple of weeks to encourage more blooms in September and October.  After the first of September, I won’t deadhead any more this year.  The days will be getting shorter and my roses will be getting ready for the colder seasons to come. For now, though, I’m back to the gardens to collect more bloom smiles!